New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-30
:. THE BIGGEST OF ALL DAMS.
HISTORY OF TIE QUAKER BRIDGE SCHEME.


comnotod the largest aoueduct tunnel, and, II the
plan Ia uccessfulIy carried out, the biggest dam.
The great Quaker Bridge Dam project, however, Is
| aptacopized by citizens who do not think that the
vaue of thing Is TO be measured by its slze' aud
| IL NAV be DELAYED for some time, II not ultimately
defeated. But the Aqueduct Commissioners nave
formally decided to build 1t, and the engineers VI
the Commission are confident that 1t VIII DC ouii'
| Already there has been question raised US w VIM
is entitled to the credit of originating tine schen'
although President Spencer. OF the Aqueu"o. YIN
mission, says that if the originator OIL tne oah 10
alive when 1t Is completed he will probably oc sor'y
| for his part in the work. Mr Spencer Id oppo'0o
to the dam and says that its construction VIII pe
| great and costly mistake.
| Chief Engineer b. S. Church. OF the Aqueu"c'
Commission, claims to be the originator Oh tiie hus0
dam He was formerly employed In the DePa,'
ment of Public Works resident engineer Oh 'no
aqucduct. In that position 1t fell 10 MS io' W wv
much of the work of looking after surveys ior S'or
ago reservoirs and laying out plans for increas-
ing the water supply. 1t was Whie on
gagged in this work under Commissioner Hu-
bert O. Thompson that the plan was hrst
formed in his mind for great dam near the mouth
of the Croton River in the neighboghood or quaker
Bridge. This is q rocky gorge several miles pe'o"
the present CrotOn DAM and it was proposeu W
build an enormous dam, forming an immense laAe
thirteen miles long, and thus shorten THO hom
acqueduct several miles. Mr. Church proposeu
the matter to Isaac Newton, then Chief Engineer
of the Public Works Department. and to Comrnis-
soner Thompson, who was then seeking to get the
Legislature to authorize him to expend large ad-
ditional sum in increasing the water supply MI
Newton before his death is understood 10 nave
claimed that he originated the scheme himself Dut
there is not much doubt that Mr.. Church hrst sug-
gestedit, though Mr.. Newton made the first official
report on the matter.
Mr.. Thompson, who saw IN the plan possibilities
of immense contracts for his friends, took hold oil
the matter at once in his we'll known Jealous man
ner. Under an old Tweed Law. still in force,
the Commissioner of Public Works is authorized
to expend as he may think best $l,O0O,OOO year
to ward increasing the water supply; this money Is
raised BIZ the issue of bonds Mr. Thompson and
Chief Engineer Isaac Newton took advantage or
this law to secure opinions from eminent engineers
in support of their project for the Ing DAM Mr.
Newton drew up plans for the dam aud then engl-
neers were employed to give opinions on the mat
ter. John b. Jervis, the engineer who designed and
superintendent the construction of the old Croton
Aqueduct, received D.. 032 for his opinion IN favor
OF the dam. and James b. Travers, Robert X. Mar
tin and other well-Inown engineers got similar
sums. Supported by their expert opinions Mr.
Thompson tried to get extraordinary powers from
the Legislature to carry out his plans, but IN that
he failed Instead Mayor Edison was authorized to
appoint q commission to consider the whole sub
ject.
This commission consisted OF Mayor Edison, o
b. Potter. John L. Agnew, William Dowd,
Amos F. Emo aud Hugh ~ Camp 1t held
large number of meetings. took great deal
-. g.
Of new aqueduct but did not approve the
Quaker Bridge Dam project. Following the re-
port of this commission the Legislature provided
for the new Aqueduct Commission. This organized
early in the summer Of 1888 and began in August
to give public hearings on the question of the aque-
duct and the dam. After holding about fifty pub
lac meetings. the proceedings of which occupy
!, 7Gs pages the Commission decided to construct
the new aqueduct TO the present Croton Dam, thus
putting an end TO the proposed shortening OF the
aqueduct by the carrying ont of the stupendons
Quaker Bridge project. The Commission reached
the conclusion that 1t would not be safe TO con-
struct the Quaker Bridge Dam on the plans pro-
posed by the Public Works Department; so that
matter was deferred.
In the meantime Commissioner Thompson went
to work and expended a large sum Of money In
amended plans for the big dam The
Aqueduct Commission also changed. Controller
succeeded Mayor Edison. and Commissioner Squire
succeeded Mr. Thompson Public hearings were
then resumed on tho amended plans anu
position shown 10 the dam. When these hear
ings closed the Commission adopted plans for
large reservoir in Putnam County. Known as the
Sodom Dam, leaving the Quaker Bridge project for
future action The determination TO build the
Sodom Dam was not favorable 10 the Quaker
Bridge scheme because II the big dam should be
constructed the S0dom Dam would be unnecessary
Soon after this decision the Aqueduct Commits
sion was changed by act of the Legislature. The
Commissioners Com Barnes, Fish and Ridgeway were
year the removal of Commissioner Squire brought
in General Newton as member OF the Commits
sion. No public hearings were held by the reor-
with Commissioners Baldwin and Dowd.
voted to construct the big dam. They did not,
however, agree on any plan and this leaves that
matter still open.
Commissioner Barnes who is an engineer Of high
reputation favors q curved DAM and he has said
that dam built on the plans now before the COM
mission would be unsafe, while Commissioner New
ton also q well-known engineer, holds that q
curved dam, such a. IS proposed by Mr. Barnes,
would be unsafe. This illustrates the difference
of opinion, even among expert engineers which has
been shown all along concerning this project The
plans originally proposed by Chief Engineer Isaac
Newton and which the expert engineers we're sup-
specifically approyel, after having been attacked
In public hearings, were Withdrawn and stronger
plans submitted. Chief Engineer Newton estimated
that the total cost of the reservoir. including the
big dam, would not exceed 81 O0O. 600 aud the
pert engineers approved this estimate as sufficient
But under the new qht obtained on the subject,
Chief Engineer Church has now raised the estimate
to So 741 900 In this estimate, however, he allows
81 200 900 for 1000 acres OF land. But Corporation
Counsel Lacombe, who has had charge OF the pur-
chase of land, aud who is therefore an expert
says the city will do remarkably we'll If 1t gets off
with an outlay Of 49, 500O 900 for the 1000 acres,
exclusive of the cost of appraisal and awards TO
counsel. President Spencer says that it will re-
placed the ,tmate hi CHER. At President Spencer's
estimate of the number of acres according TO the
Corporation Jounsers tOurca the land alone will
cost about 81. SOC, 600 which is half mill
ion dollars more than Chief Engineer Newton and
the experts estimated that the whole thing would
cost.
But in addition to the land the city. will have to
principally on the hillsides to take the place of
those now in tho valleys. which will BIO flooded by
the big dam. IL Will also have to built twenty